Stoney Nation Bearspaw band member Preston Twoyoungmen and his family are at a loss as to where they may be living in one month’s time.
The Eagle ran a story in our July 2 edition on Twoyoungmen’s plight with one of the three Nation bands in nearby Morley, the Chiniki band, which he said has been unreasonable and uncooperative with his housing situation and is unjustly evicting him from his home of six years on the grounds that he is a Bearspaw member living in a Chiniki home that is marked for demolition post-flood.
“They just want me off the reserve,” said Twoyoungmen, who is waiting to hear back from Bearspaw Chief Darcy Dixon to see if he can or will work something out with the Chiniki band.
The former columnist for the Eagle and outspoken Bearspaw band member — who has long been vocal against what he feels are injustices to the people from the Nation chiefs and councillors — was officially served a 30-day eviction notice by Lindsay Blackett, CEO of the Chiniki band, last week.
“The next step will be to proceed legally in due course,” said Blackett. “It’s an unfortunate situation — the house is unlivable and it has to be demolished.”
Twoyoungmen was given permission to take over permanent residence of the house in 2009 by elder Bud Crawler, who passed away two years ago.
According to Twoyoungmen, Crawler’s family should have laid claim to the house within 90 days of the passing of their family member. It was more than a year after the elder’s passing when Twoyoungmen, his wife Char, and three young children were first notified that the Chiniki band wanted them out of the house.
It has been another year of unsuccessful back and forth communication for the family to be served the 30-day eviction notice.
According to Blackett, the question over who lays claim to the house is irrelevant – it is property of the (Chiniki) band and because the house has been assessed as unlivable post-flood, the band has no choice but to evict Twoyoungmen and it the responsibility of his own (Bearspaw) band to locate new housing for him.
According to Rob Shotclose, CEO of the Bearspaw band, there is already a housing shortage for all Nation members and they currently do not have anything available for the family to live in.
Twoyoungmen may face no alternative but to leave the Nation altogether.
